Fav stories Memories

My memories...let's see....oh the first night in Panama, driving from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side in the back seat of a station wagon watching the moon dart in and out of the tropic clouds. The next morning waking to the green parrots flying over our house on the hill at Ft. Davis and the Panamanian maid telling me to hurry and get dressed for school. Arriving to Cristobal High School, in a strange world far away from our farm in NW Georgia, big time culture shock; the smell of the air; the banana tree in the front yard; spear fishing in Gatun; all of you hippie classmates; Winning 2nd at National Drill Team Competition in Ft. Benning, Ga; Porto Bello sand; Balboa train ride with the Drill Team; Mangos; Walking from the hill to the theatre at Ft.Davis and stopping on the 17th green to get high (yeah I done that); Trying to dance with Jeannie Stanfeild at the teen club and feeling like a piece of sphagetti; Tim Blanchard raising me above his head during wrestling practice and yelling "UNCLE, UNCLE" ....like that really helped; My bestest friend, Bob Carter and me running from the CZ Cops on a Honda 50 scooter passing the Cheeba on the right side at the 4-way stop and dodgin the search all day......and y'all thought I was a nerd; Getting stung by a sea urchin; camping out on the break wall; Skinny dipping at Ft. Sherman and discovering people were watching; Making out with *&%^^$%^#$ at Gatun Lake when "Liquid Sunshine" played ( you know, the Teves Bro's).... A lot more that I can't tell you about here. Have a nice day!!! Bob Kelley

Gosh, I have so many wonderful memories of my time in the canal zone…I remember riding mini bikes all over Gatun, doing a wheelie that turned my headlight in to a planter when I finally stopped (by wrecking, of course!) I remember the Barr’s parrot screaming my name until my mother wanted to kill it…every time she went to the door to see who was calling me & no one was there…I remember the Gatun school bus stopping at the Chinese garden to let me off after we moved to Margarita so that I could ride home with my friends.. I remember ginnups, rose apples and all the great fresh produce from the Chinese garden (I still prefer my fruit room temp!). I remember football games and sitting near/with the band…all my friends were in the band and I had such a crush on Danny Valentine…he was such a good sport and never made me feel dumb. I remember (and miss) Mike Bjorneby and Brian Love. I remember “spin the bottle” and “ring-o-levio” and black palm rings…I remember working in the library at school AND when Guy & Leland went through the door… Melinda (Brown) Ferrier - Aug 2005

I remember buying pitchers of beer in Colon for $3.00! Going to Sat. nite mass in Margarita, skipping an going to the KC and drinking JAX for .15 a can! Remember diving my old VW in the field on the other side of the locks, following the motocross trails!! Campouts at mosquito point, campouts at mighty heights, how about partying at the seawall in Coco Solo!! My list goes on an on and I will add more later, but let me finish by thanking Guy and everyone else for this page and the whole website!! Great Job!! Ralph Hepner - Nov 2004

Most of this is coming back in a bit of a fog, but I am remembering. 62-65 lived at Ft Sherman. Then from early 67-late 69, second grade at Gatun, third at Margarita, 7,8,9 at CHS. The riots of 63. Heard about JFK shooting just as we got on the bus at Margarita. The pot smoking teacher is easy. He was the new English teacher, I think his name was Dobson. Blonde hair, goatee. I believe he took Mrs Smith's place when she retired. Leland Cummings nearly lost his arm when he walked thru that door. I remember skipping school one day and seeing Mrs Reifco, Spanish teacher skipping as well, and swimming with her cat at Devils Beach. She looked at me point blank and said, "You don't tell, I don't tell." First french kiss was with Mounyen (Posey) Lyman in the bleachers overlooking the football field in 69. Had a crush on Kathy Danielson since I first saw her at Gatun elementary school in the second grade. I think it was the tiny silver bells she wore on her retainer that drove me wild. Does anyone remember her best friend Sue's last name? And where she is now? I was one of the ROTC Ranger bunch. When machete slinging Sgt Propst was there. Five of us got a wild hair and had the barber at Ft Gulick give us Mohawk haircuts. Pfau was asst principle then. He called all five of us into his office saying our haircuts were obscene. That would be myself, Robert (Joe) Tuck, Bruce Bacon, Danny Knous, and the older of the Randall boys. His father was the SgtMajor at Gulick. Died in Vietnam under mysterious circumstances about late 70. His last day there. I saw Danny about 2 years after I left Panama in Ft Bragg. I called Joe Tuck about 74 from University of Texas. He was asst Mgr of a clothing store in Tennessee. Jim Washabaugh graduated in 69. He put an opened bottle of mosquito repellant in his pocket on of the ranger field exercises. From then on he was known as Fireballs. He later went to work for NSA. My mom taught a modeling class for some of the girls at Gulick. I think some of their photo shoot is in the 69 yearbook. Devils Beach...Kim Cotrell, Cindy Atkinson, Brock sisters. I graduated in Houston in 73. Eisenhower HS then went to UT at Austin for a while. I became a cabinet maker for a lot of years, then joined the US Navy as an airborne sub tracker. After that, I started up my carpentry business again...got tired of things in general, needed a change. Gave away everything I had and after a very long and winding road, I run a trophy shop www.kopycut.com.au with my wife

in NSW Australia. You have no idea how much I appreciate the website. It has brought me a wealth of smiles. Thanks for the memories. - Lonnie Stout ospreyami@yahoo.com

I was sitting in Mrs. Seibrands class in the eighth grade Joey Smith, Joe Ender, and myself were the memorable individuals of this little escapade. Some how or another Mrs. Seibrands got into it with Smitty, and she hauled off and wacked him for some remark that was made. Any how I chirped in that she couldn't do that and encouraged Smitty to "SUE" her for battery or some craziness. Well this started a maelstorm of rebuke from Smitty and Ender. Low and behold Mrs. Seibrands turns on me and extracts me from my desk by my ear, and quite literally drags me down to the office in this manner. Our dear Mr. Phau was down there in his usual foul mood and found that my little shenanigan was quite unacceptable before his lunch break. The end result was Saturday detention and a cheerful little note to the home front which got me some more down time. I guess you had to be there to appreciate the humor in this and believe me it was quite the task to keep a straight face in class for a few weeks after the dust settled. - CHS 73. Rooster Johnson

Patches (Brown) reminded me of the time Jane and I would switch classes to see if the teachers would notice. We never got caught so I guess we did fool them... Also, and I'm not to proud of this but we were playing Balboa in Basketball. Jane's number was 12 and mine 21, and we looked totally alike. We braded out hair the same, Harris couldn't even tell us apart, only by number. Well, we already had 2 players fouled out of the game and Jane just foul her last foul. That would have been it so I circled around her and told her to leave her hand down and I raised mine. Well, it worked and the foul was towards me. I looked at Mrs. Harris and she just put her head down and started to laugh. She knew !!!! The game was so close and I was so happy we lost. Mrs. Harris came up to me and said DOHLE and just laughed, never said anything about it. - Judy (Dohle) Rajotte

I remember when Rooster Johnson walked up to me in mechanical drawing class, picked up a pencil and drew a thick black line across the middle of a drawing I had been working on for several days. In extremely nervous retaliation, I promptly walked over to Rooter’s drawing, picked up a pencil and drew a thick heavy black line across his drawing. In the process of drawing my line across Rooster’s drawing, I tore the drawing in half. I thought Rooster was going to kill me or use me for fish bate. After all, Rooster was the biggest guy in the senior class and I looked like the school’s flagpole. It only cost me a dry eraser up side the head. I also remember opening day of the school play (The Miracle Worker). I was to open the play with a three word opening line (how hard can that be). The curtain opened, I looked over the several hundred people sitting in the audience. My mind went completely blank; I don’t think I could have given someone my name if they had asked. Terrie Overstreet very gently leaned over and whispered my lines. She was my angel that day.

Today, I routinely speak to large audiences. Many times before I open my mouth, I will whisper to myself “She will live” (the opening lines to the play). It helps to insure I’ve got the brain in gear. I thank Barbara and Jeannie Stanfield for talking me into working the play, and Terri for getting me over the first - John Nichols

Cayuco race 1976... The Destiny. Sat in front and the seat was narrow and
painful.
Cayuco race 1999... Slave Galley. Sat in front again, but had more natural
padding.
Swim team at Coco Solo... the skinny brown kid. Less than a three minute
run from my Coco Solo house to the seawall to walk barefoot, climb through
the mangroves, cut myself on barnacles in the salt water... Climbing the
huge trees by the two-bedrooms in Coco Solo during dry season and letting
the wind and sun do their thing. Football during rainy season in the
fields, though still the skinny kid. Watching a wall of rain advance, then
running last-minute to beat it. Doing algebra with Barbara Stanfield, even
though she was Chris Lasher's girlfriend. Wringing out my jeans with
Jeannie Stanfield at Gatun pool after lifesaving class and wishing I had the
nerve to ask her out. Coming back to the CZ after spending time in the
states (reaching puberty) and realizing that Joe Smith and Leland Cummings
didn't want to play punch-in-the-arm any more... no longer too skinny.
Wishing I could be as cool as Winship Dowell. Friends with Brian Love, Mike
Bjorneby, years gone and I'm sorry. ~ Scot Loizeaux

"I Remember playing in the CHS High School Jr., Sr band. Remember Playing at the football games. I remember Guy played the tuba when he was not playing football. I Remember playing in the stage band... Especially our Senior Year. Mike Bjorneby, Ed Bringus, Gasper Sayac, Roy Gott, Nancy Gregg, just to name a few. Mr. Carwithin (Mr. C) was a great Music teacher. I feel so lucky to have been born and raised a C.Z. Brat. I would not trade any of it for the world. The Beaches, Jungles the ant eaters turning over the trash cans The people were the best part the Zone was the people ... So many wonderful memories to share" ~ Ede (Marsh) Marshall

"How about when Guy and Leland went thru the glass doors at school one day! Walking to the Coco Solo commissary snack bar for lunch!! Going to the Breakers for lunch!!! What about a student teacher from Penn St. I think name was Miss Green what a fox!!!! Lunches at the KC, cooks name was Onion"! ~ Ralph Hepner

"I remember the campouts me, Jerry, Guy and Chris use to have in front of Crow's house??? Building rooms with cardboard boxes usually starting at your tent??? I'll be damned if I'm paying you for your tent!!! We all use to get the huge moving boxes or plastic pools an use them like sleds and slide down the hill behind Swains house!!! I have tons of great memories, bet I could write a book, ha ha!! What about boy scout memories??? Troop 12!! ~ Ralph Hepner

"I remember smoking pot with one of the CHS teachers.... on a weekly basis..... Wonder which teacher that was???? ~ Anonymous

"Went back to the CZ Nov. 2002. Really sad. Glad I have the memories of what was and all the happy times. Parties at the Tarpon Club, Seawall, Teen Club in Coco Solo, and Margarita. That's still there. It's so depressing. In a way I wish I hadn't gone back" ~ Patches (Brown) Harrison

"I went to Canal Zone College with both Brain Love & Mike Bjorneby. All the partying we did. I barely made it through my classes" ~ Debbie (Jaketic) Burton

"What a great life growing up in the Zone. I wouldn't trade it for anything!" ~ Barbara (Bloemer) Ellington

"Probably the only Drill Team Commander to get relieved of his command due to telling one of the cadre to go do himself" ~ Charles Kelley

"Hail to all the ROTC Drill Team Backmen '69 - '70! ~ Ted Scott (left Zone sophomore year '71) theodore.s.scott@usdoj.gov

"I grew up and lived on the Pacific side of the Isthmus until I moved to the Atlantic side in my junior year. That was tough breaking into a new school at that age. :) I've been living in Panama up until 4 years ago. Really miss home. ~ Maureen (Carey) Domenech

"Remember the great ceviche at the Tarpon Club" ~ Barbara (Stanfield) Koehler

"While at Pina Beach I remember playing in the water only to see my Cristobal High School class ring go flying off my finger never to be seen again. So if you're ever in the area please see if you can find it ! " ~ Barbara (Stanfield) Koehler

"Mrs. Baldwin chasing bats with a broom during a movie at the Gatun theater". ~ Anonymous

"One of my earliest memories when arriving to the Canal Zone in January 1970 from Fort Bragg, NC was immediately peeling off my heavy coat, it was so humid in the rain forest! Upon our arrival to Cristobal High School, Jeannie and I were immediately asked " Are you a Head, Straight or a Juicer? "and "Have you ever seen the submarine races out on the causeway?" ~ Barbara (Stanfield) Koehler